Society game



Puma! Nov. 20, 192a PATENT OFFICE,

- ARTHUR arms me, or case, GERMANY.

soul-arr ems,

Application filed July 7, 1837, Serial I'm-204,008, and in Germany April 14,1192).

This invention relates to a society "game I pertaining to that class of such games in which counters ormen are moved along on certain paths provided on a draught-board or disk, the length of theindividual draughts being determined by the number of the points of dice, as well as bycertain rules. The improved game forming the subject-matter of this'invention is illustrated diagrammatical- Iy and by way of example in the accompanylng drawing which shows the game in plan.

The playing ground proper is circular, anddivided into four concentric rings designated I, II, III and IV and being, preferably differently colored. The detalls are as follows:

lines, and some of these latter extend through the ring II into the ring I, these extensions forming paths on which the countersor men can pass from one ring to another one.

Every playmate receives five counters or men. is is, in the example shown in the drawingyassumed that the game is intended for four playmates, andthere are provided for them, or, more precisely, for their counters or men, four groups of fields located in the ring II and consisting each of one large circle and five small ones. The counters or men are to be put on the small rings. The groups are numbered 1, 2,' 3 and 4, and groups of five fields .or circlesl, 2, 3 and 4, but of larger diameter, are provided also in the ring IV. The groups are, preferably, ,distinguished also by difi'erent colors, for instance in this manner: -1=red, 2=green, 3=-blue, and 4=yellow. The colors of the rings may, for instance, be as follows: I=yellow, II= blue, III=-red,' and IV=black.- The fields in the ring II, that is .to 'say, the-smaller circles of those fields, are connected by radial lines with circles of the same size located. in the ring III andbearing also the numbers, or

thecolors, or both, corres onding to the fields in the ring II. The sma l circles in this ring are those upon which each playmate places his counters or men.

Between the radial lines connecting the rings 1 with each other, as well as the rin s 2, 3 and 4, and extending from the ring II through the ring III, are radial lines extending from the rin I through the ring II into the ring III and icing beset with star-sha ed fields. These radial lines are called ortune lines and permit transposing the counters or men from one of the three rings mentioned to any other of them. There are.

four star-shaped fields in the ring I four'in the ring II, and twelve in the ringIII, and

between every two star-shaped fields of the ring I are five point-sha d fields, as shown; and as regards the ring I there are between every two star-shaped fields four pointshaped' fields and a group of six fields consisting each offive small circles and one larger one, as already described. The fields forming these groups are merely starting. fields, not playing fields, except, however, the larger circles pertaining to them. I

The object of the play is to transpose or shift the five counters or men assembled in any one of the starting field groups through the ring III onto the corresponding five large circles in thering IV, that transposmg .or

shifting being, however, to be effected 1n acertain manner corresponding to certain playing rules, as dealt with hereinafter.

Generally two dice are used, and two counters or men are moved after each throw, and each of them is shifted over as many path portions as are shownby the. appertaining die. Summing up the points and moving only one'counter or man over a corresponding number of path portions is forbidden. The counters or men are shifted onto fields in the outermost annular line of the ring III. Each counter or man must pass over themtire length of said line until it arrives again at the circle from which it had started in the said line, and having arrived thereon it is permitted to beshifted at once onto the neighboring.circle in the next or middle annular line m which it then proceeds in-the same manner, the only difierence being that onto the thirdor inner annular line in which then three points are added to' those thrown at every throw, the reason for this addition being also in this case to accelerate the play, that is to sa to accelerate it still more than in the ring I. At the end of the path in the inner annular line in the ring III the counters or men pass over onto the large circles located in the ring IV. Of course, each counter or man is not permitted to get over onto any' other color, as regards said large circles in the ring III, than that which it bears itself. It may be that a counter 01 man when having arrived at the end of its path in the said annular line must. be shoved to and fro until the number of the points of the die thrown is just that necessary for the purpose in view.

There are, however, exceptions of the above rules, viz, exceptions caused by lucky chances. If, for instance, a counter or man shoved along upon the outer annular line of the ring HI gets onto a star-shaped field it is permitted to pass over at once to the inner line without passing through the entire length of the outer line and the middle one. And if a counter or man running along upon the middle annular line gets onto a starshaped field it can instantly pass over to the inner line. Furthermore, it a counter or man meets on its way another counter or man of another color, this other countervor man must give way and get radially outwards, either from the inner or the middle line of the ring III into the outer line'thereof, or further outwards into the ring II or even into the ring I, but never as far back as to reenter any one of the appertaining starting circles, i. 'e. circles bearing the same color as the respective counter or man; but in the ring I that counter or man may move to one or the other side.

If in the middle annular line of the ring III a counter or man meets a counter or man bearing another color and located lefthand from it, the owner of the first-mentioned counter or man is entitled to exchange the two counters or men, and it thesame thing should occur, by way of chance, in the other line where there. has been the counter or man met with, that is to say, it also in this other line a counter or man of another color should lie let'thand from that newly arrived, another exchange of the two counters or men oncerned may take place.

Exchanges can take place also between the rings I and II, as well as between the rings II and 111, but only if the counters or men bearing twocolors stand side by side on a radial line with fields of large circles or on i a radial line with star-shaped fields.

The thin lines indicate the ways or paths on which the counters or men are to be shifted or transposed.

That playmate is the victor who is the first whose counters or men have arrived on the five large circles in the ring IV. The play is rendered particularly animating and stimulating for the reason that each playmate has continually his or her five counters or men in the combat, and this being so, not only luck; but also cleverness is required to be victorious.

I claim: 1. A society game, comprising a bear showing our concentric rings, an annular line in each of the outer two rings and three annular lines in the third ring, counteror men-fields inserted into all said lines, separate fields located in the fourth or innermost ringand radial lines connecting some of the fields in one ring with some of'the fields in another rin 2.. A society game, comprising. a board showing -four concentric rings, an annular line in each of the two outer rings and three annular lines in the thirdring, counteror men-fields inserted into all said lines, separate fields located in the fourth or innermost ring and radial lines connecting some of the fields in one ring with some of the fields in another ring, said fields being divided into I groups, each of which is intended for one of the playmates, substantially and for the purpose set forth.

3. A society game, comprising a board showing four concentric rings, an annular line in the outermost ring, an annular line also in the nextjring, and three annular lines in'the third ring; counteror men-fields inserted into all said rings, separate groups of fields in the second ring, separate fields located in the fourth or innermostring, radial lines connecting-some of the fields in one ring with some of the fields in another ring and extending from the outermost ring to the separate fields in the innermost one, the fields connected by said radial lines being larger than the other ones.

\ 4. A society game, comprising a board showing tour concentric rings, an annular line in each of the two outer rings and three annular lines in the third ring, counteror men-fields inserted into all said lines, separate fields located in the fourth or innermost ring, equally distributed radial lines connecting some of the fields in one ring with some of the fields inanother ring and extending from the outermost ring to the separate fields in the innermost one, the fields connected by them being larger than the other ones, other equally distributed lines extending from the outermost ring to the third.

5. A society game, comprising a board showing four concentric rings, an annular line in each of the two outer rings and three annular lines in the third ring, counte'ror 5 men-fields inserted into all sald lines, separate fields located in the fourth or innermost ring, equally distributed radial lines connect- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ARTHUR SPILLIN G. 

